Well I competed in my first race in 2 years with almost no ride time and minimal training. So I guess I wasn't overly prepared.
My main goal at the Ironman was to finish and beat my buddy, who talked me in to doing this race.
So an entertaining story about the race. Don't laugh to much
Beautiful day to race, Everyone was talking how bad the course was getting after the morning classes, lots of deep ruts and the creek crossing were getting bad, even the guy announcing warned everyone about the crossing and the big down hills. So with all this info I was glad to have decided on running the 22" tires on the back.
Well we line up, only 15 quads in the 40+ class, my thinking at the line was to start clean and ride smart. So we're at the line, and its our classes turn, flag goes green and I hit the start button, nothing, Oh S***T I think, so not panicing yet, I turn the key off and back on and hit the start button, Houston we have iginition( I don't think I had the key all the way on DAAAAA) So off the line I go I catch one guy and pass him by the first turn, so at least I'm not last. Dale running great, I catch the pack by the time we reach the woods. So into the woods we go , no time to settle in the ruts are there as soon as we hit the trees, no problem, I start picking guys off one at a time, man I'm thinking this is fun. The dale was hooking up great and running fine. We hit a couple of creek crossing and I make another couple of passes by picking faster lines. So we're well into the first lap and I'm figuring I'm up to about 7th, but who knows, to much mud, hit the next big creek crossing, I hesitate to make sure I pick a good line, I'm watching A guy on the middle line and he's about to thirds up, the other lines are bottlenecking, so I hammer on the middle line, didn't recheck the guy, he had got stuck, well I try to get out of the ruts to go around him and that was the beginning of the end, toooo much mud and too deep of ruts. I hit the guy dead center,. There I sit, I can't go anywhere, they finally get the guy out of the way and start working on me. I'm off the quad tugging, pushing what ever it takes, we finally get me out and away I go. Now I figure I'm dead last. Oh well maybe I can catch up if some offf the other guys mess up. Finish the rest of the first lap, Wow I'm running 13th, I can't believe 2 other guys had more trouble than me. So I continue on the 2nd lap, all off a sudden both my calf muscle start cramping up, I couldn't even lift my toes to shift gears, but I wasn't going to quit, I ended up getting stuck a couple of different times on that lap as well , as having to go slower because I couldn't stand up because of the cramping. I finish the 2nd lap still 13th, still not last, but my legs are really hurting by now, but I was determined to finish, so I decide to go on , I know as slow as I'm going that this will be the last lap. So I continue this torture trip, I make another bad decision and get stuck in a major mud hole, water was up to my knees it took 6 guys to help get me out. Well now my gloves are soaked and muddy and I'm totally Pissed, so I just start hammering the best I can, that didn't last long, I'm not exactly sure what happened, but the next thing I know is I'm getting my old butt up off the ground, air born in the woods, that could have ben ugly, no idea what happen, started to walk back to the dale and both calves lock up tight, man I hit the ground cussing. Not sure how long it took to stop the cramping but finally I got back on the dale. Still determined to finished, got stuck in a deep rut just because I couldn't hold the handlebars tight enough to get through with much speed. Finally I see the 8 mile marker, only 2 miles, I know I can make it now, came out into the open fields, had to stop again the calves were locking up on me, then I see my buddies blue Yamaha, come out of the woods and pass me. Man that really blows, now I'm getting beat my buddy, well I fire the dale and and decide there is no way I'm going to let him beat me I can rub my legs at the truck. So I get on the gas with all that I have( which I'm not sure how much that was because my hands were numb)
Anyway I catch my buddy and make a pass, man the dale is running great, I'm still having trouble shifting, but I've got to beat him. Well we get back to the woods and I'm determined not to let him catch me. So I just grit my teeth and punch it for the last couple of miles. I hit the finish line and I'm still in 13th position.
Well my finishing position sucked, but I beat my buddy and I finished the race. The dale ran like a dream and had no problems or damage. I get to the truck, get off the dale and both legs cramp, major cramping, so it took a while to get the old legs to relax. This is the first time I've ever had leg cramps during a race, so I think I figured out the problem, my lower knee brace straps were on too tight, (bonehead move).
So between that and wearing a pair of gloves that were alittle to tight I was doomed from the start. But overall I enjoyed the race I definantly know why they call it the Ironman.Not a good showing for the dale, but in reality I knew that I wasn't ready, but I'm glad that the dale ran so well with ZERO mechanicla troubles.
Hope everyone enyoys the comedy routine for a story.
But I finished the IRONMAN
Later DMAC10
